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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

BELGIUM 1912 Issue

Return To Catalogue - Belgium 1849-1865, King Leopold - Belgium 1866-1869 Lions - Belgium 1869-1892 - Belgium 1914-15 Red Cross issues - Belgium 1915 onwards

Currency: 100 Centimes = 1 Franc

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

Gereral remarks about stamps with tab; when the tab is no longer attached to the stamp, the stamp is less valuable.

For stamps of Belgium from 1893 to 1911 click here.

1912 Number and lion, stamps with tab

  1 c orange (number)
  2 c brown (lion)
  5 c green (lion)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1912 King Albert in a rectangle facing the left, stamps with tab, so called 'Pellens issue'

(Reduced size)

  10 c red
  20 c olive
  25 c blue
  35 c brown
  40 c green
  50 c grey
  1 F orange
  2 F violet
  5 F brown (larger size)

Two types: two buttons left (and smaller head) and one button right (and bigger head). Also there are two tiny squares in the upper top left and right in the first type.

For the specialist: two types exist of these stamps. In type I there are two buttons on the uniform of the king, all stamps except the 25 c were issued in type I. In type II there is only one button on the uniform and the head of the king is larger, the values 10 c, 20 c, 25 c and 40 c were issued in type II. The values 10 c, 20 c and 25 c of type II exist in a subtype without the name of the engraver "EDW PELLENS".

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

On the left, presumably genuine stamp. On the right: Deceptive forgery. Note that the "S" of "PELLENS" is larger, the background on the right is less gradually shaded, the second line on the 'epaulette' on the left (from our point of view) is not correct (all lines should be parallel in the genuine stamp).

I've seen deceptive forgeries of the 5 F with cancel "SCHAERBEEK 19-20 6 V 1913", "St HUBERT 7-8 26 XII 13" (see image below) or "NAMUR 19 IX. 1914 NAMEN 1N 1N" (see image above).They also exist with a railway cancel "GENT-DAMPOORT -2 IX 1914 GAND - PORTE D'ANVERS".

Forgery with forged "St HUBERT 7-8 26 XII 13" cancel and another forgery with forged "GENT-DAMPOORT -2 IX 1914 GAND - PORTE D'ANVERS".

Imperforate forgery.

Usually, the forged cancels on these forgeries are quite neat, but not always.

If I'm well informed the lower values have also been forged (30 c and 1 F). These types with two buttons were forged, they are quite dangerous.

I've seen many 25 c imperforate 'proofs' in many colors (the one button type). I presume these are either illegal reprints or forgeries.

Imperforate proofs of the 25 c value from my own collection in fancy colors.

Sheet with imperforate stamps, with or without inscription "ESSAIS 1912". In the center a stamp of the 1915 design (no value). These sheets exist in different colors. The quality of these sheets is rather bad for essays and I have seen a lot of them, I wonder if these 'essays' were not created for stamp collectors....

For Belgium 1914-15 Red Cross issues or Belgium 1915 onwards, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer